The Birthday Present
by Kiddo
Summary: Lucas gets a special birthday present, please also read the note at the end of the story


THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT  
  
By Kiddo  
  
*IN LOVING MEMORY OF JONATHAN BRANDIS*  
  
Information:  
  
I have no rights on seaQuest and I don't make any money with this story.  
  
The song "I'm In Love with My Car" is written and preformed by Queen.  
  
This story is a translation to my German story "Das Geburtstagesgeschenk". I had the idea to this little story when I had found the text to the song on the Internet. Another important point in writing this story was that I had just got my drivers licence when I had written the whole thing. (In Germany we can get our drivers licence when we are 18.)  
  
This story takes place during the second season.  
  
Please read also the note at the end of the chapter, i put alot of thoughts in it.  
  
A special thanks goes to KatKnits00 for beta reading the story and to Jackie for beta reading the note at the end of the story.  
  
Feedback is always welcome.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
*  
  
The machine of a dream, such a clean machine  
  
With the pistons a pumpin', and the hubcaps all gleam  
  
*  
  
Lucas Wolenczak carefully stroked his hand over the blue paint of the little car. The car was a dark blue Mini Cooper, the Mini had on both sides a 10 cm broad light blue color streak. And the little car was a cabriolet (convertible).  
  
The teenager went around the car and looked at it from all sides. An unbelievable smile stood on his face.  
  
*  
  
When I'm holding your wheel  
  
All I hear is your gear  
  
*  
  
The blond computer genius opened the door and sat down on the drivers seat. One after the other he adjusted the seat and the different mirrors of the car. After that he put on his sunglasses.  
  
Lucas turned the ignition key, when he heard the sound of the engine he smiled. He let off the handbrake and put the reverse gear in.  
  
*  
  
When my hand's on your grease gun  
  
Oh it's like a disease son  
  
*  
  
He drove away from the big parking lot onto the street. He drove a little bit through the city, after this he turned on to a street that led away from the city.  
  
It was an unbelievable feeling to sit in the little cabriolete (convertible) and to be the one that drove it.  
  
Driving could really make him addicted and the bad thing was that he could do it nearly never.  
  
*  
  
I'm in love with my car, gotta feel for my automobile  
  
Get a grip on my boy racer roll bar  
  
Such a thrill when your radials squeal  
  
*  
  
After he had left the city he stepped more on the gas.  
  
Lucas still had problems believing that the Mini was his car now. That it belonged to him.  
  
His father had really thought on his 18th birthday and had given him such a great present.  
  
Dr. Wolenczak had forgotten Lucas 17th birthday. The teenager could still remember how he had felt last year and how disappointed he had been. He wondered if his father was trying to make up for the last time with this present and to calm down his bad conscience.  
  
*  
  
Told my girl I had to forget her  
  
Rather buy me a new carburettor  
  
*  
  
But Dr. Wolenczak wasn't spending this birthday with his son either, even if he had promised it after the seaQuest had been destroyed. He had just called Lucas on the vidphone and wished him 'Happy Birthday'. After this he had told Lucas to come at 2:00 p.m. to the big parking lot near the port. His assistant Peter would give the boy his birthday present there.  
  
But Lucas had never expected such a present!  
  
*  
  
So she made tracks sayin' this is the end now  
  
Cars don't talk back they're just four wheeled friends now  
  
*  
  
But the car couldn't help Lucas get over the absence of his father and the million broken promises. The teenager would have loved to see his father and not only talking to him on the vidphone. But this was better than nothing.  
  
Maybe this was the reason why he loved his computer. Computers could never let him down or break a promise. The car couldn't break a promise too. This was one of the big differences between humans and things.  
  
*  
  
When I'm holding your wheel  
  
All I hear is your gear  
  
*  
  
The blond genius drove on a straight secondary road. There was no car behind him and no car in front of him. He stepped a little bit more on the gas. The wind was playing with his hair.  
  
*  
  
When I'm cruising' in overdrive  
  
Don't have to listen to no run of the mill talk jive  
  
*  
  
The teenager touched the play button of the radio. On the radio was an old song from Queen.  
  
He laughed when he recognized the song. It was "I'm In Love With My Car". The computer genius turned the music louder.  
  
*  
  
I'm in love with my car, gotta feel for my automobile  
  
I'm in love with my car, string back gloves in my automobile  
  
*  
  
His Mini Cooper was really cool. He knew that the song suited his feelings. In the short time that he had driven the car, he had fallen in love with the dark blue Mini.  
  
Tony and the others would never believe him when he would tell them what his father had given him. But he could easily forgive them; after all he couldn't really believe it himself.  
  
THE END  
  
I Wish I had a Mini Copper :-)  
  
Written July 2003  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Note:  
  
I think we have all often wondered a lot about the date of the birth of Lucas Wolenczak. The whole thing just gave me a sleepless night.  
  
In all of the information I have read about the show, his birthday was either the 02/28/2002 or the 02/28/2004. 2002 and 2004? That can really confuse a person. But I think the difference between these dates can be explained.  
  
I read that they first planned for "seaQuest" to take place in 2020, but if I remember correctly, the first season took place in 2018. Am I right? So the difference between these dates is easy to explain.  
  
In the episode "The Devils Window," Captain Bridger said that Lucas was 16. So if the first season took place in 2018, then 2002 is the right date, but if it took place in 2020, the year 2004 has to be the right one.  
  
But there is another thing that really confuses me. In the Episode "Give me Liberté," Lucas says this: "They lit the candle on her in 2003. That's, uh. PL."  
  
Ford: "PL?"  
  
Lucas: "Pre- Lucas!"  
  
The translation to "pre" is "before". And if 2003 is Before-Lucas, then our favourite blond teenager had to have been born in 2004.  
  
If the show took place in 2018 and Lucas was born in 2004? That would mean that he was 14 in the first season. But we all know that he was 16.  
  
A season full of mistakes.  
  
In "Higher Power / An Ocean On Fire," Bridger says that the tour took 13 month. Later in this episode Westphalen said this about Lucas: "And it's hard being seventeen and not having a family."  
  
At the beginning of the second season, Lucas was 17. I know this for sure because Captain Bridger said this in the Episode "And Everything Nice": "The right girl? After one night? Well, I'll take that back. I was 17 myself, once."  
  
So Lucas was 17 at the end of the first season and in the beginning of the second tour. By the way, how long does it take to build a new boot? That must be really easy if it takes only so little time.  
  
But I also read that the building of the new SeaQuest took 2 years. 2 years and Lucas is still 17????? Questions after questions.  
  
In my opinion, Lucas was 18 at the end of the second season. They didn't celebrate his birthday, but I just think it is.  
  
And then there was the strange thing with the time travelling and going to 2032. I didn't really like that and I will never understand it.  
  
I believe that Lucas was 18, or 28, at the beginning of the third season, but just a little bit later, he was 19 or should I say 29? Because in the episode "Destination Terminal" the barkeeper said something about his ID, he thought it was a fake because he never could be 29.  
  
So if we think that Lucas was 18 or 28 at the beginning of 2032, and you do the math, then 2004 must be the real date. But that would also mean that Lucas was 14 in the beginning of the first season. But they always said he was 16!  
  
But there was one think that really confused me! It was in the episode "Brave New World".  
  
Hudson (oh, I really hated his character) asked Lucas about when his birthday was and Lucas answered December 23.  
  
What the hell is going on?  
  
Here are my four answers for this question:  
  
1. The first one is that the writers didn't do their homework and wrote the wrong date.  
  
2. The second solution is that Lucas doesn't know his own birthday. But, just for some weird reason, Lucas was always a sweet genius in my head. Hey stop! This is true, this wasn't just my stupid mind, he was the genius, he was the wonder child!:-) So I think we can't count on this solution. Lucas would know his birthday.  
  
3. The third solution I can think of is that the Lucas of the third season isn't the Lucas Wolenczak of the first and second season. I always thought that the Lucas of the third season was too different from the seasons before, and his hair was too long after the whole Hyberion thing! Okay, you can just forget the third solution. I know it sounds stupid; it was just another idea from my crazy mind.  
  
4. And here is my fourth solution. The information about the 28 February was wrong and December 23 was always his birthday.  
  
So you can choose your own answers and I'm sure there are a lot of more solutions to this thing. I think the right answer is that the writers didn't do their homework properly.  
  
If anything in my text was wrong, please tell it to me. I'm always open to learn a new thing.  
  
So, I must say, that I prefer February 28th. If his birthday was December 23rd, he would get all his presents nearly at the same time. And therefore, I think February 28th is a better date. And there is one other thing that makes me believe it is on February 28th. In the last episode of the first season ("Higher Power"), Lucas watched a Christmas video from his Dad. Lawrence Wolenczak would have said "Happy Birthday" too, if his son had his birthday on the December 23rd. I don't think he would send his son two videos.  
  
Oh, I just remembered some more weird things. I have the "SeaQuest" book to the first episode in English. The book is called "The Novel". I have the paperback version and on page 70, it says that Lucas is 14 years old! But I also have the German translation to the book. That book is called "Mission Unter Wasser" (or "Mission Under Water"). I have the hardcover version and on page 80, it says that Lucas is 15 years old. I must say, this is really a fantastic translation! Just one more thing to think about. Great!  
  
So, I will do just what I have always done. Lucas is always as old as I need him for my stories. And I think I will have another sleepless night about the whole thing. This is so GREAT! Who needs to sleep anyway?! It is just a human habit I have since my birth. :-)  
  
Maybe Lucas Wolenczak's birthday is the new Stonehenge of our time. :-)  
  
So, for now, I'll just pretend that the correct date of birth for Lucas Wolenczak is the February 28, 2004. And that is today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCAS!!! ;-) 


End file.
